The 2006/2007 season for the North Otago team saw contrasting fortunes during the Hawke Cup games. At the start of the season the North Otago selectors had opted for youth with many of the team from the local high schools Waitaki Boys and St Kevin's College, however it was boosted by the availability of former New Zealand Representative David Sewell who after retiring from first class cricket would able to play the majority of the fixtures. The first match of North Otago's season was against Southland, when a rampant Southland bowled the opposition out for 38. Southland winning the match by an innings and 47 runs. The return match was rained out with no play on either of the two days. For the third match of the season North Otago was looking for a vast improvement in their fortunes and faired better despite a loss to Otago Country by 8 wickets. This led them to the return encounter a week later at Oamaru, that would see a very remarkable turn-around during match and mark it as a weekend that the Otago Country team would rather forget.

Four articles written by Matt Smith along with action shots appeared in the Oamaru Mail during the following week. They are reproduced here in full along with one of the photos, with thanks to Matt Smith and the Oamaru Mail for providing them for the website.
An hour of bowling and fielding excellence proved the difference for the North Otago cricket team, as they dramatically turned their Hawke Cup match against Otago Country around to win by five wickets.
North Otago's win came after a Saturday afternoon at Centennial Park which put Otago Country comfortably in the driving seat with a 59-run lead.
Certainly, Otago Country appeared to have gained all the early momentum as they went at a run a ball for the first hour of the game after batting first.
Dashing stroke play from Leighton Morgan (43) was supported by Corey Blair (20) and Damien Petre (30) as Otago Country took the early upper hand.
However, a change in accuracy turned the game slightly as David Sewell, Jarrod Waldron and James Lovelock picked up wickets steadily to dismiss Otago Country for 184 in the 55th over.
A bright start with the bat from North Otago fell away, despite the best efforts of Waldron (40) and Tony Gray (17), with the home side only lasting 32 overs for 124.
The game was well-advanced at 5.30pm on Saturday, before it sped up dramatically thanks to the swing king, David Sewell.
His six wickets for four runs, coupled with Bevan Wilson's three for 13, brought Otago Country to their knees, as they plumbed the embarrassing depths of a completed innings of just 19 runs.
The match was not in the bag for North Otago though, with a treacherous couple of overs before stumps on Saturday.
However, North Otago started Sunday with no marks in the wickets column, which gave them a sniff of the victory. However, tight lines from Country bowlers Brendon Domigan and Fraser Wilson meant the chase was fraught with danger, and it wasn't until Waldron was joined by Robbie Smith that the game seemed even remotely safe.
The pair put on 34 runs in testing conditions, with patience finally appearing in North Otago's batting game.
The lavish drives were shelved, replaced by gentle deflections and quick singles, and the cautious approached worked with Smith only being dismissed a few runs short of the total.
Waldron did the rest, and North Otago went to their early Sunday lunch with a victory that seemed more than unlikely just a few cricketing hours before.

Some cricket captains would be worried when their team loses quick wickets to be all out 60 runs behind the opposition on the first innings.
But North Otago captain Jarrod Waldron had no such thoughts at the weekend.
In fact, the Dunedin-based all-rounder had what he called a &'weird'; feeling about the evolution of the game following the first innings.
North Otago had managed just 124 in reply to Otago Country's first innings of 183.
"It was funny, because I was kind of happy that we were in that position - it was a weird feeling," Waldron said.
"To get an outright (victory), I was happy to get an hour at them (on Saturday evening)."
What followed though was an hour where North Otago ran through the Otago Country batting line-up, dismissing the visitors for just 19.
"I was thinking four or five wickets, I would have been happy with that," he said.
"If someone said to me we would have been back in batting in just over an hour, I would have said l no way".
"Everything just clicked - we took about three good catches - it's just one of those performances that won't happen again."
The job was far from over though, as North Otago had a nasty total of 79 to chase.
"On that pitch, you never feel in as a batsmen - we talked about it last night," Waldron said.
"We were going to have to fight for every run."
Waldron had a big part to play, battling through a suspected broken finger, to finish unbeaten on 24. He put on 34 runs with Robbie Smith, who took some hits to the body during his innings of 18.
"He knuckled down - it was good to see," Waldron said.
"We said at the start (of yesterday) we need one partnership and we'll break their backs." Waldron hopes the bright finish to the season carries on through to next year.
"It's been reasonably disappointing, but we've lost a few players from last year, and it's good that we've finally shown some guts and a bit of ticker," he said.
Otago Country coach Andy Sainsbury was understandably disappointed with his team's second innings at the crease.
"I was pretty happy an hour and a half out (from the end of play on Saturday) - five minutes from the end of play, upset,' he said.
"Sewelly bowled well and we batted poorly - a combination of the two and we were all out for 19."
Sainsbury still had a hope of turning the result yesterday.
"We had everything to play for this morning, we had every expectation to give them a good go, but we didn't do it."
Otago Country now have two games against Southland in January and thanks to their win over North Otago at Alexandra, have a slight lead on the Southlanders.
"We've got three points on them at the moment, so first innings points in either game would be good."

David Sewell admits he was well and truly in the zone during a magical hour of cricket at Centennial Park on Saturday.
In almost six overs of pure left-arm brilliance, Sewell picked up six Otago Country wickets for four runs. Yes, you read that right - six for four.
Assisted quite beautifully at the other end by Bevan Wilson, who snared three for 13, including a couple of vital top order wickets, Sewell's sextet of wickets set up North Otago's five-wicket win the next day.
The sizzling spell was a far cry from the start of the match earlier on Saturday.
"At the start of the first innings, both of us struggled a bit with our line and length," Sewell said.
"It was good in that second innings (as) I felt like I needed to contribute to the side - I felt like I let the side down in that first couple of overs of the first innings.'
When North Otago were dismissed 60 runs behind with an hour and a half to go on Saturday, all the moons were lining up for Sewell and Wilson.
"The conditions suited the bowling - it was still and there was a wee bit of moisture in the pitch, " Sewell said.
"It was just swinging around and fortunately I bowled in the right area most of the time."
"It actually felt the best I've probably bowled in my life to be honest."
The win ranks highly for Sewell, who has 67 first-class matches under his belt.
"It's right up there, actually, because we felt there was almost a lack of respect - like we were a bit second grade - so it was going to be to get out there and prove a point we could match this side."

By all accounts, New Zealand went into a brief state of mourning in 1955 when the national cricket team was dismissed for 26 in a test.
It remains to be seen if Otago Country cricket fans will react the same way after their side was dismissed for 19 on Saturday evening, as North Otago came from a first innings deficit to beat the visitors by five wickets at Centennial Park yesterday.
The hour between 5.45pm and 6.45pm on Saturday was certainly one to remember for North Otago supporters as David Sewell and Bevan Wilson weaved some left-arm magic on the Otago Country batsmen.
With quarter of an hour to go in the day's play, Sewell was walking back to the changing room, having snared the staggering figures of six for four from almost six overs.
The miserable total of 19 is believed to be the lowest in Hawke Cup history.
North Otago hit their own nadir earlier this season when they could only manage 38 against Southland, but that innings was a distant memory on Sunday afternoon as captain Jarrod Waldron and youngster Robbie Smith ground out a tough victory against fiery Otago Country bowling, taking fearful blows along the way.

Jarrod Waldron in action vs. Otago Country on the 16th December 2006. Wicket keeping for Otago Country is James Pyle.
Photo provided by Matt Smith and the Oamaru Mail.